Angel of Mine
by PhoenixRae
Summary: She fell for him when he didn’t know who he was. Will she still love him once he’s regained his memory?
1. I Unexpected Patient

**Full Summary: **_A badly banged-up and war-weary Draco Malfoy ended up under Ginny Weasley's care at the height of the War. She refused to look after her former schoolmate nemesis until she realized he has amnesia; maybe caring for him wouldn't be as tough as trying to co-exist with him at Hogwarts…_

**Disclaimer: **_Harry Potter is a copyright trademark of JK Rowling & the WB. No Profit is Made Off this Fic._

**PhoenixRae's Note: **_I have to thank BBMak's _**Ghost of You & Me**_ song for inspiring this fic. If it wasn't for me listening to that song I wouldn't be inspired to write yet another Draco/Ginny fic – a CHAPTERED FIC for that matter! Events in books 1-6 are still relevant, but it doesn't follow all of the events that happened in the books.

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**I. Unexpected Patient**

_Summer 1997_

MORE CASUALTIES!" CALLED ONE OF THE assistant medics at the makeshift medical casualty site setup an apparition away from where the main battle was being fought.

An almost sixteen-year-old Ginny Weasley donned on a medi-witch robe and cap ready to start her shift at the site. She, along with other Hogwarts students, volunteered to aide war victims recovering from their wounds. Volunteers were short in supply these days having dispatched almost all who were able to fight to side with the Ministry of Magic. Ginny doesn't perform any medical procedures on any of the victims, she only looks after them after they'd been treated an on their road to full recovery.

On this particularly blistering hot summer day Ginny expected to work a short shift. War hasn't escalated to mind-blowing proportions in the last little while and she wanted to go back to the Burrow and comfort her mother who was going out of her mind worrying about her brothers and father who joined the rest of the Order to fight against the Dark Lord.

It didn't help either that Ron, Hermione and Harry went AWOL shortly after summer began, only hearing from them once since they disappeared after the ceremony at Hogwarts on their last day. According to the letter they sent (Ginny knew Hermione had a hand in it but since it was addressed to the Weasleys it was Ron who penned the letter instead of her) the three of them were in pursuit Lord Voldemort and avenge the deaths of so many people that meant so much to all of them.

"How many today?" She asked fellow volunteer, Luna Lovegood, when the blond entered the recovery tent.

"They're bringing two not-so-badly wounded straight to here," answered the former Ravenclaw then proceeded to prepare a bed for one of the woundeds.

"And that's it?"

Luna stopped what she was doing and looked at her companion.

"As far as I know. Why? Do you want more?" she frowned.

"No. I'm glad there's only two. That means I can leave early once they're settled."

"Why leave early?"

"Mom's a wreck. I need to make sure she's alright." Ginny started preparing a bed for the other patient as well.

"Your brothers and father all fighting in the war?"

"Whose male member of the family doesn't?" Ginny mumbled then quickly added, "Yeah." She didn't bother mentioning that one of the main reasons why Molly Weasley was a wreck was because of Ron taking off with Harry and Hermione in search of the Dark Lord.

Luna stopped asking her twenty-questions then. Ginny was glad when she did. In as much as she enjoyed the other girl's company, there were times Luna annoyed her with her constant questioning.

Their not-so-badly wounded casualties arrived. Dean Thomas, Ginny's ex-boyfriend, and Seamus Finnigan along with a couple of Hufflepuff supposed seventh years this coming school year brought the wounded in. The Hufflepuffs went straight to Luna and deposited their casualty on the bed she prepared.

Dean and Seamus, however, took their time getting to her. Ginny had to cross her arms and cock an eyebrow at her two Gryffindor housemates.

"What are you two waiting for?" she demanded.

"You might not like to look after this one, Gin," was Dean's uncertain reply.

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed at the center of her forehead. "What are you two talking about?"

Dean and Seamus, both carrying the wounded without the aide of magic at the request of the Mediwitches and wizards, exchanged weary glances and at Dean's insistence Seamus moved forward and delivered their wounded to where Ginny was standing.

One look at the badly banged-up casualty victim lying on the stretcher and Ginny knew why Dean and Seamus were uncertain she'd want to care for _this_ particular patient.

"What the hell is doing on _our side_ of the war?" Ginny demanded, her tone causing the other three occupants of the tent to look her way.

"He was found along with the wounded Order members. Whether he was captured or he was _with_ the Order nobody can tell," explained Seamus.

"Why is that?" asked Ginny, directing her question to her ex-boyfriend this time.

"Because he wasn't bound when he was found lying on the side of the road with one of the Aurors," he answered.

Curious. Ginny looked down at the unconscious silver blond haired young man who made sure her life at Hogwarts was a living hell. He doesn't look like a bully now lying there helplessly; nevertheless she wouldn't tend to the likes of Draco Malfoy!

As if reading her mind, Dean stepped up to her and whispered, "You can't choose who you care for and who _not_ to care for, Ginny."

Ginny gave her ex-boyfriend a slicing glare. "He's Draco Malfoy, Dean. _He_ is the one responsible for Dumbledore's death. Prisoner or not, _why_ should I care for him?"

"Because he might be suffering from loss of memory, that's why," it was Seamus who butted in to their conversation.

"He's what?" Ginny looked aghast. She turned her gaze to the sleeping man on the bed then shot a quelling glare back at her two housemates. "You're joking, right?"

"I wish we were, but that's what the Mediwitches and wizards said," answered Dean.

With a heavy sigh Ginny dismissed Dean and Seamus before turning to tend to the still unconscious spawn of a Death Eater. Ginny knew she shouldn't discriminate who she treated and helped get back on their feet, but this one particular patient wasn't someone she'd want to recover from whatever he suffered from out in the field.

"If he's a captive I'm sure Aurors will be posted outside this tent to make sure _he_," Luna jabbed a finger at Draco Malfoy's direction, "wouldn't escape."

"Let's hope so, Luna, let's hope so," Ginny mumbled although she doubted the Ministry would dispatch a single Auror to stand guard outside the recovery tent where one captured Death Eater.

* * *

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER GINNY WAS left alone by Luna to go on her break. More recovering wizards were brought in and Ginny's initial plan of going home to be with her mother was cancelled. 

She was glad for some alone time actually. She managed to stray away from her initial charge, Malfoy, but after she did her rounds checking up the other wizards brought in and found nothing much to do with them except let them sleep, Ginny found herself drawn back to the bed of her enemy.

Standing by his side she studied the profile of the sleeping Death Eater. If Dean and Seamus were telling her the truth and Malfoy was suffering from memory loss then he wouldn't know what he did. It would be a shame for someone as uppity as Draco Malfoy to suffer from such fate, but Ginny was also a believer of karma, and _this_ definitely was karma for him.

"Mmm…"moaned the man lying on the bed.

Ginny jumped back in surprise. She didn't expect him to be coming through any time soon. She checked the blow he received to the head after Dean and Seamus dropped him off. It looked like one nasty bump and she doubted he'd be up before tomorrow; looks like she was mistaken.

Moving closer to his bed again, Ginny gingerly peered at the sleeping man. He was mumbling incoherently still and moving his head about, wincing each time he did so.

"Bloody hell," she hissed under her breath and grabbed a chair and sat down beside him. He was beginning to thrash about, his pained facial expression indicating he was probably having a nightmare, add to that the nasty blow he had no wonder he looked very much in pain. If he kept on thrashing about like this his head would hurt more. "Stop that, you're only going to make the pain worse," she told him soothingly, cupping his face in her hands to stop him from thrashing.

He fought her hold on his head. He was alternately moaning in pain and panting like he was running a marathon. Ginny got up from her seat and leaned over him, her hands gripping his head firmly and at the same time not too tightly while she tried to stabilize him.

"Shh…shh..." she whispered wishing she had her wand handy with her to use a body bind spell on him to stop him from thrashing about.

Ginny wrestled with Malfoy for at least five minutes before he settled down once again and became lost in what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep. Whether his sudden thrashing about was caused by a bad dream or pain shooting up his head, she hoped he wouldn't have to suffer from that for the rest of the night.

* * *

HE WAS IN HELL, THAT WAS WHERE HE WAS. 

Damn blasted pain keeping him down. Whoever did this to him would pay, he'd make certain of that, but first of all he must get over this one obstacle. If only he could remember exactly _what_ happened and _who_ did this to him.

And who the hell was he?

Panic soon started to take its ugly toll on him. He couldn't remember who he was or _where_ he was, and yet he remembered – _knew_ – he was injured. But why was he injured in the first place?

Dammit. Who was he? Oh God, he can't remember his name…where he was from…when he was born…does he have a family? What was going on?

Ginny flew to her charge's side as soon as she heard him moaning and groaning an hour before she was to call it a night. It was nearing dawn and the new set of volunteers would be arriving soon. She was just seeing to the needs of one of the other patients brought in this evening when she heard Malfoy writhing in his sleep again.

She leaned down to check up on him, grabbing hold of his head once again to stop him from causing any further problems to his traumatized head. One of the mediwazards came in to check on the patients and she was debriefed on what was wrong with Malfoy. An extreme blow to the back of the head and a curse – not a killing curse, but it was powerful enough to render him incapacitated to fend for himself.

"There, there now. Stop moving or you'll only make it worse," she whispered soothingly.

He stopped fighting the fear and panic that engulfed him when he heard her voice. It was the same voice that snaked through his hazy thoughts earlier. It was both soothing and caring; very comforting actually and in spite of the mind numbing pain he was suffering from, he found himself relaxing and forgetting that he had no clue who he was let alone _where_ he was.

He wanted to see her. He wanted to see the face of this angel who was forever looking after him. He owed her his sanity at least, for keeping him from ripping his hairs out; for making sure he calmed down before he started to lose it all.

Cracking his eyelids open, his vision was blurry at first, focusing only on the square-ish face of his Angel; his gentle-voiced Angel. He had been asleep for Merlin only knows how long his eyesight became bad, but at least he could make out her figure amidst the blurriness of his surrounding.

"Thank you," his voice cracked. His throat was parched and his voice came out in a raspy whisper.

Ginny was stunned first to see him come through and second to hear those two words she doubted she'd hear Draco Malfoy would utter to anyone.

"Y-you're welcome," she stammered. "Go back to sleep. It will help relieve the pain. You're suffering from one mind numbing headache." She moved away from him, still reeling from this unexpected side of Draco Malfoy she just witnessed when she felt his hands gripped her wrists preventing her from leaving.

"W-water," he whispered. "My throat hurts."

"Alright. I'll be back with your water," she promised and gingerly removed his hands from her wrists. "Just lay down and do try to get back to sleep again. You will need it," she reminded him before leaving his bedside.

He was almost disappointed to watch her go, his Angel, but he did ask her to grab him some water for his parched mouth and throat. Following his Angel's advise, he tried to settle back in his bed and closed his eyes dreaming of his sweet, gentle Angel…


	2. II Fast Recovery

**Full Summary: **_A badly banged-up and war-weary Draco Malfoy ended up under Ginny Weasley's care at the height of the War. She refused to look after her former schoolmate nemesis until she realized he has amnesia; maybe caring for him wouldn't be as tough as trying to co-exist with him at Hogwarts…_

**Disclaimer: **_Harry Potter is a copyright trademark of JK Rowling & the WB. No Profit is Made Off this Fic. I only own some of the OC characters, but they others aren't mine._

**PhoenixRae's Note: ****_REPOSTED WITH REVISIONS. I REALIZED SOON AFTER THAT THE TIMELINE DIDN'T JIVE WITH THE YEAR THIS FIC IS SET – DUMBLEDORE'S DEATH HAPPENED END OF HARRY'S 6TH YEAR, WHICH MEANT _THIS _SUMMER NOT THE PREVIOUS SUMMER _**_Thanks to all those who reviewed and read the first chapter. I am in such mood that I can't wait to post the second chapter ASAP. This is a bit short chapter, but I hope you still enjoy it. I'll try and get the third chapter out ASAP.

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**II. Fast Recovery**

GINNY'S LEAST FAVOURITE PATIENT, but the one person who managed to creep through her subconscious even when she was no longer working, began showing signs of a hundred percent recovery on his third day in the recovery tent. Dean and Seamus, as well as the mediwitches and wizards who looked after him, didn't lie about Draco Malfoy suffering from memory loss.

Malfoy panicked his first full day being awake. He lay in his bed contemplating, alternately throwing panic attacks and howling from pain from the blow he received to the head.

"How are you feeling today?" was Ginny's cheery greeting when she approached his bed.

Malfoy sat up and leaned his back on the iron bar headrest, a smile lighting up his face. Ginny was still trying to get used to receiving this kind of reception from him. Normally she was greeted with a snarl and a smirk back in the days of them attending Hogwarts.

"I feel better now that you're here," was his smiling response.

It was a cheesy reply, but Ginny had to give him props for delivering the line in a somewhat sexy manner. Was this the Draco Malfoy who drove the girls of Slytherin crazy when they were in school? Well, only one girl in particular seemed to be head over heels in love with him, and that girl was Pansy Parkinson.

"Well, looks like you'll be leaving today. I spoke to one of the attending mediwizards, and Dr. Fitzwassle said you're already fully recovered," she beamed at him.

Ginny watched Malfoy's smile falter after she was done telling him he was being released. Of course he'd be released under the custody of one of the Aurors since she found out that he was indeed a captive when the Order member he was with and a few others were ambushed.

"What's wrong?"

"I am not a hundred percent recovered yet, Ginny."

_Ginny._ It gives her goosebumps hearing him refer to her by her preferred name. She could get used to this Draco Malfoy with her than the old git he used to be.

"You mean you haven't gotten your memory back?"

He gave a jerky nod of his longish silver blond head.

Ginny pulled a chair and sat down by his bed. It was almost the end of her shift and not a lot of the other patients needed attending too. Besides there are other volunteers working this evening so she could linger a bit longer while visiting her charges.

"It will help you remember if you're not in this facility, Draco." His given name tasted and sounded alien to her tongue and mouth. She had to empathize with him and let bygones be bygones for the sake of not upsetting her patient.

"Is that really my name?" He asked her eagerly, hope and something else glinted in those gray orbs.

"Yeah. How many times do I have to tell you that your name is Draco?"

He gave a slight shrug. "I guess until I start believing you, you'll just have to remind me that _that_ is indeed my given name."

"Well I won't be the only one reminding you what your real name is."

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"The people you will go with once you're released from here will be calling you 'Draco' as well."

"And _who_ will these people be?"

"Nice people." She covered her crossed fingers on her lap with her hand and hoped that her smile didn't look too phony to him. She knew the Ministry Aurors are nice people. Some of them are working for the Order and she heard that Tonks will be the one Malfoy will be handed off to, but knowing how upset members of the Orders are of him for being the person responsible for letting Death Eaters in to Hogwarts that fateful night, Ginny couldn't actually vouch for how much they'd be able to tolerate him.

"Are they my family?"

"Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"Your parents are…_preoccupied_ with other matters."

"Such as?"

Ginny knew he was recovering and patients who were suffering from memory loss shouldn't be overloaded with information right away. Some of them he might retain and might help jog his memory, but she was told not to tell him too much otherwise he'd only lose his mind.

She was all for him losing his mind and be locked up in an asylum, but that was before she started spending some time with him and getting to know this side of Draco Malfoy she was still having a hard time believing existed.

* * *

YOU SAY HE DOESN'T REMEMBER WHO HE IS?" asked Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix, when she met up with Ginny the day she was to pick up Malfoy from the recovery unit.

"That's what I said. He doesn't even know his own name."

"Then he won't be of any use to us if that's the case." Tonks sounded very disappointed at this sudden turn of events. "We need to get information from him about the Dark Lord's next move and everything that will help us end this damn war."

"The mediwitches and wizards are certain he _will_ regain his memory back, but it will take some time," Ginny reassured her upset friend.

"Time is what we _don't have_, Ginny. A lot of people are dying, wasting away, being blown up to pieces because the Dark Lord wants full power to take over our world. And the one person we have, the _only_ chance of us infiltrating the side of evil is suffering from amnesia!"

"Why was he found with an Order member?" Ginny's been dying to know the reason why an unbound captive like Draco Malfoy was found without any restraints on his person with members of the Order. "I know he's a prisoner, but shouldn't he be bound or have some sort of restrain on him? I heard he was free as a bird when he was found on the scene."

Tonks seemed to think about how to answer her question without divulging too much. Order members as well as Aurors and other Ministry staff fighting this war were put under oath to not tell civilians or family members of exactly what they were doing. It was for their own good in case an attack on civilians occurred and members of their family were captured. That was why Molly Weasley was going out of her mind with worry because nobody was telling her what was going on; she was kept in the dark as well as Ginny whilst her father and brothers joined in the battle.

"He was just captured, Gin," was her reply before changing the subject. She asked where her prisoner was and Ginny showed her the way.

Malfoy was already seated and ready to be picked up. He smiled when he saw her approach, then she watched that charming smile that was beginning to grow on her falter when he saw a scowling Tonks behind her.

"Hello, Draco. This here is Tonks. You're to come with her. She'll take you somewhere safe."

Malfoy's eyebrows furrowed at the center of his forehead as he looked at Tonks who was still scowling at him.

"She doesn't look friendly to me, Ginny."

Ginny frowned and looked over her shoulder. She made a face at Tonks and gave her a swift jab in the ribs, telling her to quit glaring at her prisoner.

"Ignore her. She's a really nice lady. She's just having a bad day," she used as an excuse for Tonk's expression. She looked back at him and added, "You already have your medication in case your head starts to hurt again?"

"Yeah, it's all packed and ready. But I don't think I'll be needing it," he told her confidently, smirking that all too familiar Draco Malfoy smirk that made Ginny blink twice to be certain she didn't just imagine seeing it.

"Over confident little brat, aren't you?" snarled Tonks who couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"_What_ did you just call me?" Draco challenged, his once wholesome gray eyes turning to a slicing glare at the woman standing behind Ginny. His tone of voice sounded very much like the old Draco Malfoy used to sound.

Ginny jabbed Tonks in the ribs again, warning her not to egg him on too much.

"Please excuse us. Be ready to leave soon though, I'll just have a word with Tonks here," she excused herself and her friend from him. She dragged Tonks to a corner and gave her a good lashing out. "Are you out of your flipping mind? First you're glaring at him, _not_ a good way to get him to _trust_ you. Second you making that remark about him being an over confident brat. I swear I saw a flash of the old Malfoy I knew as soon as you said that remark to him, but really, if you want to weed out some information from him you better make sure he _trusts_ you."

"I'm sorry Ginny, but that _boy_ over there is the one person responsible for Dumbledore's death. You can't just expect me to feel _indifferent_ towards him!" Tonks argued.

"I know who he is and what he did, _but_ he's also a human being, not to mention that he's sick too."

"Yeah, he's one sick prick that one," Tonks sent a scathing glare at Malfoy's direction.

Ginny rolled her eyes skyward and shook her head. "I didn't mean he's sick-sick that way!" she scolded. "He has amnesia for Merlin's sake!" she hissed.

"So?"

"_Patience_ is a virtue, Tonks. If you want to find out information from him, you have to be patient and let nature take its course."

"I already told you, Ginny, _time_ is something we don't have on our side," she reminded her sternly.

"I am very well aware of that, but egging him on to remember _everything_ right away isn't the answer either! Just be patient and you'll be rewarded for it. I can still see the boy he used to be in him sometimes and in his actions. I'm pretty confident he'll be regaining his memory soon enough."


	3. III Waiting for Your Visit

**Full Summary: **_A badly banged-up and war-weary Draco Malfoy ended up under Ginny Weasley's care at the height of the War. She refused to look after her former schoolmate nemesis until she realized he has amnesia; maybe caring for him wouldn't be as tough as trying to co-exist with him at Hogwarts…_

**Disclaimer: **_Harry Potter is a copyright trademark of JK Rowling & the WB. No Profit is Made Off this Fic. I only own some of the OC characters, but they others aren't mine._

**PhoenixRae's Note: **_The second chapter's pretty short, so here I am with the third chapter. Enjoy!

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**III. Waiting for Your Visit**

HE DOESN'T KNOW WHY HE LOOKED FORWARD to the weekends. Could it be because _she'd_ be swinging by this ring-dingy place he was forced to call home for the past couple of weeks while he recuperated? Or could it be because with her around he didn't have to be forced to _remember_ who he was and what he did prior to him losing his memory?

Whatever the reason was, he was glad he had something to look forward to. Living with a moody Tonks wasn't fun at all. At least he was being rewarded by being visited by his Angel.

He remembered telling her last weekend that he thought she was his angel the first night he was brought to the recovery tent. She looked surprised and giggled, but she didn't say anything else. She thanked him for saying she was an angel but told him that was the last thing he should think of her as.

"I am far from being an angel, Draco," she told him over tea and scones. She brought the scones her mother made. They were pretty good scones and asked her to bring some more on her next visit.

It was the best tasting scones he's had in his life.

He froze after that thought. How'd he know it was the best tasting scones he has had? He felt overly confident that it was indeed the truth and yet he couldn't remember the last time he tasted such delicacy.

"Whoa, you look like you've just seen a ghost," Ginny greeted when she joined him out in the balcony of Tonks' top-floor flat. "Are you okay?"

Draco shook off the sudden feeling of unease every time he recalled something but couldn't quite place where that memory was from. He turned and smiled up at the red haired Angel who just joined him for afternoon tea.

"I'm fine, Ginny, thanks for asking." He got up from his seat and offered it to her. He grabbed another seat from inside and placed it on the other end of the balcony facing her. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was okay," she shrugged. "It's the same old, same old, you know? Mom baked a batch of scones for you. I told her you gave her scones really high praises and that perked her up, so she rewarded you by making two batches – and they're all for you."

"Thank your mother for me then," he smiled. "I was just thinking that her scones were the best ones I've ever tasted before you arrived."

Ginny cocked an eyebrow at his comment. "You've had scones before? Where? Who made them?"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa!_" Draco held up his hands to her from firing question after question at him. "Slow down with the questions, please. To answer _all_ of them, I don't know, but I have this feeling inside that I have tasted scones before that wouldn't even come up to par with your mother's scones."

"And nothing else? No flashing memory of when you had it last or even _where_ you last had scones at?"

He let out a frustrated sigh and sat back in his seat. "Nope, just that gut-feeling that I love your mother's cooking," he gave a faint smile, but his eyes told Ginny he was feeling down at not being able to remember more.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up too much. It's good that you remembered something although it was just a feeling. At least you're _certain_ of it."

"Why can't I remember _all_ of it, you know? I think Tonks wants me to regain my memory back soon. I get this feeling off her that she wants to question me about this war, and deep down inside I know I _want_ to help her find some answers to her questions, but I am of no use to her since I can't even remember my last name!"

It was at the tip of her tongue to offer him _that_ information. In fact she offered to tell him that when he told her he wanted to know his last name, but being the proud person he always has been, Malfoy told her not to; he wanted to remember it himself.

"It'll come to you eventually. Now, let's not talk about something as dour as you wallowing in your own self-misery here, mister. Tell me what have you been doing this week? Tonks still wants to wring your neck for walking in on her while she was in the shower?" Ginny distracted him from feeling too down.

She remained with him until dinner. Tonks was away on duty until eight o'clock and Ginny stayed with Malfoy until then.

* * *

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU VISIT HIM, Ginny," Luna shook her head while removing her uniform at the end of their shift. Ginny told her of her weekend visits to Malfoy and helping Tonks out by helping Malfoy remember. "You of all people should be _hating_ him with a passion, and yet you're being friendly to him! What would your brothers think when they find out? What would _Harry_ think when he finds out?"

"Harry and I are no longer together, Luna. And I think I am old enough to make my own decisions on who to become friends with and who not to."

Luna cocked an eyebrow at her answer. "So you consider Malfoy your friend now?"

"I admit he was a git when we were in school together, but this past few weeks since I looked after him when he was brought in I began to see a different side of the annoying brat."

"You do know that he'll eventually get his memory back, right?" Luna reminded.

"Of course I'm aware of it."

"You also know that once the _old_ Draco Malfoy is back, whatever kind of _friendship_ you two formed will dissolve into nothing, right?"

Ginny let out a long, frustrated sigh. "What are you trying to say, Luna?"

The blond haired sixteen year old let out a long sigh and looked at Ginny, carefully studying the redhead before answering.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

"Who says I'm going to get hurt?"

"That's all I'm saying," she didn't bother elaborating on what she meant. She finished changing back to her regular clothes and waited for Ginny to finish and the two of them headed out of the staff change room.

Ginny skipped out on visiting Malfoy that weekend. She sent him an owl informing him that her father and brothers are home and she has a family gathering to attend to. She felt bad for not seeing him that weekend, but she had no choice. It has been a while since every family member of hers – sans Ron, Harry and Hermione of course – were home for the weekend. Her mother wanted to throw everyone a special dinner and enlisted Ginny and Fleur's help to make sure the Burrow looks clean and tidy while Molly Weasley bustled in the kitchen.

"I hear that you are visiting the Malfoy boy," Fleur said in a low voice when they were alone in the living room cleaning up. "Does your mother know you're fraternizing with the enemy?" Her English has improved a great deal since moving to England permanently after her and Bill's quiet wedding ceremony the first week of July. Although she still has to pause every now and then when she spoke, at least she was speaking the words clearer now than before.

"I am not fraternizing with the enemy, Fleur. I'm just helping Tonks get the answers she needed."

Fleur cocked an eyebrow at her response. "According to Molly you're always at Tonks' place every weekend. She doesn't know that Tonks has the Malfoy boy in her custody, does she?"

"No. And I'd be really grateful to you if you keep it quiet, please?"

"Ginny…" Fleur gave her sister-in-law a disapproving look.

"I have my reasons, and one of them is that Mom's already freaked out by Ron, Harry and Hermione going after the Dark Lord by themselves. I don't want her to freak out anymore when she finds out that the _friend_ I am visiting every weekend at Tonks is the boy responsible for the death of Professor Dumbledore," she explained earnestly.

She was glad when Fleur dropped the subject of her becoming friendly with Malfoy, but like Luna, Fleur also warned her not to get too involved with him to escape being hurt in the end.

Why does everyone seem to think she was going to get hurt? She knew where she stood and she knew where Malfoy stood in her life. She knew the side of him she was enjoying the company of wouldn't last forever. Once he regained his memory he'd revert back to the old, nasty git he used to be.

* * *

HE HAS BEEN A SOUR PUSS SINCE LAST WEEKEND when you didn't show up," whispered Tonks after she let Ginny in to her flat. "In as much as I loathe the boy for who he was, I kinda enjoyed having him for company, you know? He's not really at all that bad if I forget what kind of a person he was before."

Ginny gave her friend an I-told-you-so smile, which Tonks returned with a wry smile. Ginny chuckled and asked, "Where is he?"

"Out on the balcony as usual," she jabbed her head at the direction of the balcony before disappearing in the direction of her bedroom.

Ginny headed for the direction Tonks pointed her at. She could see Malfoy's hair glistening against the afternoon sunlight. He was standing with his hands braced on the steel railing looking down on the street. She wondered if he saw her walk in to the building. If he did he would've been the one who answered the door instead of Tonks.

"Hello, Draco," she greeted from balcony sliding doorway. She waited for him to turn to her with that sweet smile on his face, welcoming her and looking relieved to finally see her. When he didn't and his head remained bent forward, his knuckles turning white from gripping the balustrade. "Draco…?"

"I just killed someone, Ginny, or at least…I was _responsible_ for killing someone," he said in a low, pained voice Ginny almost missed hearing what he said.

"You remembered," was her startled reply causing him to look at her sharply, those gray eyes of his piercing her with a glare to scathing she was surprised she was still standing.

"Was that the kind of person I was, a murderer?"

Ginny flinched at the tone of his voice he used on her. "Draco—"

He cut her off by turning around to face her, his eyes still boring holes right through her; pain, emotional and probably physical pain, mirrored in those eyes of his as he suppressed his anger.

"All week I've been having these dreams – _nightmares_ – of things that happened in my life. And each day that passed, each _nightmare_, a fragment of my past to put together who I was, becomes something I do not want to remember at all," he told her bitterly.

"But you _must_ remember if you want to fully recover at all," she insisted.

"But I am _not_ liking that person that I was," he insisted.

Ginny crossed the small space that separated the two of them. Standing just an arm's length from him she gingerly reached out and placed her hand on his upper arm. "What else did you remember? There must be at least something _wonderful_ in your past that stood out."

Draco looked at her for the longest time; his Angel out to help him again. Already he was starting to feel less troubled the moment he heard her voice spoke from behind him, but he just had another bout of those nightmarish visions while watching something on what Tonks referred to as the telly. He found it extremely fascinating to turn on such Muggle device. He admitted to her that he has never had the opportunity to view something from such thing and Tonks just laughed at her, making a side comment about being rich in the wizarding world and yet not being able to afford a telly.

"The only wonderful memory I remember is waking up and finding an angel looking down on me." His smile was slow in coming, but Ginny watched as that initial smile slowly brightened his face.

She clamped down the initial shot of pride that made her puff her chest up and jut her chin into the air at the compliment. She felt silly for liking the thought that she was his ray of sunshine. If this was the Draco Malfoy she knew from her school day years he wouldn't have given her such compliment; he'd more call her his _nightmare_ than his sunshine.


	4. IV Shades of the Boy He Used to Be

**ANGEL OF MINE**

**Short Summary:**_She fell for him when he didn't know who he was. Will she still love him once he's regained his memory?_

**Full Summary:**_A badly banged-up and war-weary Draco Malfoy ended up under Ginny Weasley's care at the height of the War. She refused to look after her former schoolmate nemesis until she realized he has amnesia; maybe caring for him wouldn't be as tough as trying to co-exist with him at Hogwarts…_

**Disclaimer:**_Harry Potter is a copyright trademark of JK Rowling & the WB. No Profit is Made Off this Fic. I only own some of the OC characters, but the others aren't mine._

**PhoenixRae's Note:**_I figured I might as well strike while the iron is still hot. In this case while my muse is still with me on this fic. Hope you're all enjoying the fic as much as I am enjoying writing it. Not exactly sure where this will be heading, I seem to keep on thinking of certain twists and bends but as usual the final outcome is still up in the air._

**IV.Shades of the Boy He Used to Be**

GINNY DRAGGED LUNA WITH HER TO TONKS' place one Saturday afternoon to visit with Malfoy. The other girl was reluctant to go at first, especially after Ginny told her he seemed to be remembering bits and pieces of his past ("I don't want to be the first person he hexes or curses when he's got his _full_ memory back!" she exclaimed). It took Ginny an entire week to convince her co-worker and friend until finally Luna agreed and now here they were standing outside Tonks' flat waiting to be let in.

"Are you sure he's not as vile as he used to be?" asked Luna for the umpteenth time since they left the Burrow where they agreed to meet before flooing to the Leaky Cauldron in London and walk the rest of the way to Tonks' place a couple of blocks away.

"I'm certain. He's a bit touchy on the subject of his past, but he's coming into grips with the kind of person he was before he lost his memory," Ginny answered.

"And?"

"And what?"

"How's he taking it?"

"Not too well, I'm afraid, but he's fighting it hard to _not_ revert to that kind of vile person," she reassured her worried friend.

Luna gave her a he'd-better-be look before knocking on the dark brown door again. "Merlin, what's taking them forever to answer?"

"Maybe one's asleep and one's in the shower," shrugged Ginny.

Luna made a face at her and pressed her ear against the door.

"What are you doing?" Ginny scolded.

Luna cocked an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at her. "Listening for movements inside. We've been standing out here for close to five minutes now. I'm sure someone ought to have heard us knock."

"That's eavesdropping!"

"No, it's called checking to see if someone is at home."

"Of course someone's at home! Tonks never allows Malfoy to wonder about outside by himself. I kinda feel sorry for him, actually."

Luna frowned. "Why?"

"Because he's always locked up inside Tonks' place. His only means of seeing the outside world is by staying out on the balcony."

"Talk about a luxury prison. This arrangement is better than being thrown to Azkaban."

"_What_ Azkaban?" Since this whole war started the Dementors allied with Lord Voldemort and what once was a hauntingly scary fortress in the middle of the raging sea became nothing but a shadow of what it once was. Now the Ministry had to set up a special security cells for captured Death Eaters in the lower floors of the Ministry office to lock them up.

"You know what I'm talking about. Anyway, hear any movements inside?"

Luna placed her forefinger against her lips and pressed her ear against the door again. Not two seconds later she jumped back and stared wide-eyed at the closed door. She came to stand beside Ginny, her eyes remained focused on the still closed door.

"What? What did you hear? Look flabbergasted!"

"That's because I _am_ flabbergasted, Ginny!" snapped Luna and turned to glare at her friend. "I just heard Malfoy and Tonks _yelling_ at each other!"

"You _what?_" Ginny couldn't believe what Luna just said. She pressed her ear against the closed door and listened. She jumped back in surprise when she heard raised voices inside belonging to Tonks and Malfoy. "Something must've happened to cause those two to argue like that."

"You think?" Luna said wryly.

Ginny ignored her comment and knocked hard and loud on the door. Surely they're bound to hear her banging on the door amidst their heated argument. She stepped back and waited. Two seconds later they heard the locks on the inside door and a red-faced Tonks answered the door.

"What?" she yelled then quickly regained her composure and gave Ginny and Luna an apologetic smile. "Sorry Gin, Luna," she nodded at the other blond girl who cowered behind Ginny.

"What's going on, Tonks? You look _mighty_ pissed off."

Tonks let out a long, frustrated sigh before throwing her apartment door wide open. "Come on in girls, I _welcome_ your company for a change." She stepped aside and waited until the two girls were inside before closing the door. Malfoy was no where to be found and Ginny turned to Tonks for answers.

"What happened in here?" The place wasn't in shambles per se, but it looked like some little items were thrown or shoved aside.

"Ask his _princely_ holiness outside," Tonks jabbed his pointer finger at the direction of the balcony then drew out her wand to tidy her place up.

"What did you and Malfoy argued about?" asked Luna.

"The nasty little bugger doesn't want to clean up after himself, that's what!" answered Tonks, standing in front of her disarrayed living room sofa and magically rearranged the throw pillows that were on the floor. Her coffee table was set straight as well before she turned to the armchair.

"Why not?" asked Ginny.

"He said he's not a _house elf_ to clean up after ourselves. The _nerve_ of that git!" Tonks nearly broke her wand into two in her anger, good thing she controlled herself and instead lashed out on her furnitures.

"He _knows_ about house elves?" asked Ginny.

"_Yes!_ I was shocked at first and was about to ask him how he remembered it, but then he started smirking and acting all uppity that I just lost it."

"Hmm…sounds like the _old_ Draco Malfoy to me," commented Ginny.

"You think?" Tonks made a face and rolled her eyes. "No wonder you guys complained a lot of about him. He's too much to hang around with!"

"I think we picked the wrong day to visit," mumbled Luna.

Ginny made a face at her companion and thanked Tonks for giving them the heads-up. She dragged her friend to the direction of the balcony, walking up to the door quietly in case Malfoy's still pissed off.

"Draco? Are you okay?"

"Today's not a good day for a visit, Ginny," he said without bothering to look at her. His voice had an edge to it, warning her he was in a foul mood.

"Why? Did you remember anymore? Want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." He pushed away from where he stood by the balustrade and turned to face his visitors. "I'm sorry but I am not in the mood for company today." He walked back inside and headed straight down the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

Surprised at this change in him, Ginny went after Malfoy down the hall against Luna's warning to leave him be. She left Luna with Tonks in the living room as she went straight to bang on Malfoy's closed bedroom door.

"I said leave me alone!" he yelled.

"I am _not_ leaving you alone until you tell me what is wrong with you," Ginny insisted. She jumped back when the door was yanked open and a glaring Malfoy towered over her.

"_Everything_ is wrong with me, Weasley!"

Ginny didn't know who was more shocked: her or Malfoy who seemed to know her last name when they both knew she never told him her last name.

"You remembered," was Ginny's shocked response to his outburst. "Draco, you—"

"Stay away from me. Leave me alone!" He slammed the door on her, leaving a dumbstruck at the closed door. She didn't bother pressing her luck. He was upset. He just called her by her last name. He must've remembered something awful to push her away like this.

HIS FULL MEMORY IS BACK, DO YOU THINK?" asked Tonks after serving her two guests tea and biscuits. She finally fixed up her place and after the episode with Draco and Ginny in the hallway leading to the bedrooms Tonks invited the apparently shaken redhead and the blond girl to stay and have tea with her.

"If he just called Ginny by her last name, then I say he's remembering more now than what he knew before," answered Luna and poured herself and Ginny some tea.

Tonks plunked herself on one of the chairs across from the two girls and sighed. "I hate to say this, but that git's starting to grow on me, you know? I am kinda not minding having him around, then this afternoon he must've remembered something – I dunno what it was that triggered it, but I knew it was triggered by something he saw in the telly – and the next thing I knew he was a sour puss," she explained.

"He obviously didn't want _any_ of us around him," observed Luna.

"Do you think he's old self is back? I know he hated our guts before he received that nasty blow to the head."

Both women turned to Ginny who remained quiet throughout their conversation. She was nursing her cup in her hands and staring at the biscuits on the centre of the table. She couldn't believe what just happened, and fear gripped her heart when Malfoy's action towards her moments ago was anything to go by. She couldn't forget the look in his eyes as he glared at her. She felt as though he _loathe_ her. It was definitely different from the looks he has been giving her since he opened his eyes whilst she was bent over him in the recovery tent weeks ago.

"Oh Ginny…" sighed Tonks and reached across the table to cover her hands with hers. "I'm sorry luv, I know you're starting to feel soft for that git too. But we both know once he regained his memory he'll revert back to the prat he used to be."

"Don't worry, Gin. If he mistreats you or hurt you, remember he's wandless – we can hex him to oblivion," promised Luna who wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders.

"No need for you to resort to that," answered the person they were talking about.

The three women looked up at the haggard looking blond young man standing a foot away from the dining table where the three of them were congregated. He looked remorseful and those gray eyes of his were focused on the redhead.

"I owe you all an apology for the way I behave today," he began, his eyes moving from Ginny to Tonks to Luna then back to Ginny. "I saw a face in the telly that triggered an awful memory and it didn't stop with the initial memory that assaulted me. It was a flashflood of memories I'd rather not remember yet, but it came down on me like hot lava racing down a mountain."

"Whose face was it?" inquired Luna.

Draco took a deep breath, slipping his hands in his pants pockets and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Draco?" it was Tonks who urged him.

"It was the face of my father, or at least a perfect look-alike of his," he answered after a while.

"Are you sure it was him?" Tonks pressed on.

"I am not certain. If he's a pureblooded wizard he wouldn't bother appearing in a Muggle news."

"Let's not forget that if he is allies with the Dark Lord, he'd be capable of doing _anything_ and _everything_ to please his master," Tonks pointed out.

"But _why_ appear in a Muggle newscast?" Ginny finally joined the conversation, averting her gaze from Draco to look at Tonks. "What are the Death Eaters up to?"

"Shouldn't you be asking what the _Dark Lord_ is up to instead?" said Draco wryly.

Ginny's forehead furrowed and turned to look at him again. "What do you mean?"

He crossed the room to stand by the table and addressed the three women whose attention he was now commending. He seemed to be treading deep waters at the moment. He was acting purely on gut-instinct. The flashbacks he received earlier were of his life prior to him losing his memory, and although none of those were crucial to the ongoing war they were battling right now, one minor memory upset him the most and was trying hard to believe.

He stole a quick glance at the redhead before him. His Angel; his salvation; his one reason for fighting this battle he so desperately wanted to lose. So far his past was reminding him of a very foul person who hated the likes of Ginny Weasley.

"Death Eaters won't move unless they were commanded by their leader, right? So _what_ is the Dark Lord devising? _Why_ is one of his minions appearing in a Muggle television program?"

"Those are good points, Draco," agreed Tonks and pushed her chair away from the table. "Excuse me while I contact my colleagues at the Ministry to check in to that." She headed for the fireplace in her bedroom to have some privacy talking to her fellow Aurors.

Draco waited until Tonks left before turning to Ginny. He has been beating himself up since he slammed the door at her earlier, but it was either that or yell at her some more. He just remembered what he did to her and to her family. He also remembered what she did to him the year before when she helped her friends escape him and his minions in school.

"Ginny, I'm sorry for what I did," he began.

"Uh…I believe that's my cue to leave you two alone. I'll just be in the living room and try to work this Muggle device called a telly," Luna pushed away her chair from the table and hightailed it to the living room.

Draco watched the blond girl go and was glad she understood his need for some privacy while apologizing to Ginny. Pulling the chair Tonks was using moments ago, he dragged it to where he stood and sat astride it.

"Your memory's coming back too soon," Ginny commented to break the uneasy silence that fell between them.

"I know," he agreed. "And I'm hating it with a passion," he added.

"But it's good that your memory's coming back," she insisted.

"I already told you I don't want to remember the person I was before because I do not like that person anymore than the person I became earlier today."

"You were upset. You just had a whopper of a memory overload."

"Please don't make excuses for me."

"I am not," she lied. "Draco, we both know that once you regain your memory back, not all of them will be pleasant ones. You'll either revert back to the person you were _before_ the attack or you'll remain this person that you are now."

"I'll never be that person again," he promised and reached out to cup her hand in his hands. "The last thing I'll do is hurt you, Angel." He lifted her hand to his mouth and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles.

That was Ginny's undoing. She heard her heart silently break at the gentleness Draco was showing her. She didn't know when or how it happened, but somewhere in the middle of all this chaos she fell for this Draco Malfoy with her, and it was breaking her heart in the process.


	5. V Happy Birthday, Angel

**Full Summary: **_A badly banged-up and war-weary Draco Malfoy ended up under Ginny Weasley's care at the height of the War. She refused to look after her former schoolmate nemesis until she realized he has amnesia; maybe caring for him wouldn't be as tough as trying to co-exist with him at Hogwarts…_

**Disclaimer: **_Harry Potter is a copyright trademark of JK Rowling & the WB. No Profit is Made Off this Fic. I only own some of the OC characters, but the others aren't mine._

**PhoenixRae's Note: **_I think I am going too fast with the pace of this fic, but I can't help it. I am just typing away, trusting my muse to guide me in the right direction for this one. And again a big thank you to everybody reading & enjoying this fic. I can't wait to find out how this story will unfold.

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**V. Happy Birthday, Angel**

GINNY'S SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY WAS SUPPOSED to be just a quiet affair. She'd prepare a little something at home that she'd share with her parents, brothers and sister-in-law. There was a war going on after all and the last thing she wanted was to make a huge celebration of her birthday, not that she was denied the chance to do so, but under the circumstances she'd rather _not_ throw a big party for herself.

But Ginny's plan was foiled when, after a long shift at the recovery unit, she was surprised by members of her family as well as close Order of the Phoenix members and friends who jumped out of their respective hiding places as soon as she flooed in to the Burrow. Her biggest surprise, however, was Draco's presence at the Burrow. Tonks had to drag him with her since she couldn't very well leave him alone at her place while she was out partying. His presence at her party didn't seem to bother everybody else there, especially her brothers whom Ginny knew loathed the very thought of co-existing with a Malfoy.

She owed Tonks for making sure everybody present was aware of his condition and why he was dragged along.

After everyone's full to the brim and were back inside socializing, Ginny and Draco slipped out to the backyard. They sat at the swing and let out a sigh of relief for finally finding some time for themselves.

"I'm glad you came today," she told him after a while.

"Me too, even though I had to beg Tonks for an entire week to take me with her. I know I am under house arrest, but I am a _very_ cooperative prisoner of hers so I think I deserve to be rewarded for good behavior, right?" he grinned and pushed the swing back and lifted his feet to swing forward.

Ginny did the same and was soon swinging in opposite direction from his. The sun was setting in the horizon and its bright tangerine colour shone on them. She let her swing come to a slow stop and closed her eyes, lifting her face up to the sun's descending ray. She didn't know that Draco stopped pushing his swing and was now standing in front of her, blocking the sun.

Ginny slowly peeled her eyes open and stared up at the face of the boy responsible for making her feel as though her whole world would be ripped off her chest once he regained his memory back. She opened her mouth to ask him why he was standing there looking at her that way, but the next thing she knew she was watching his silvery blond head lean closer and closer to her face.

Ginny's eyes closed at the initial touch of his lips on hers. It was the lightest of touches, but it was the most erotic she's ever felt.

Draco seemed uncertain at first, merely brushing his lips against hers, tasting the sweet nectar of her lips. Something was pulling him back; a galling voice at the back of his head telling him no. But who was he to deny a dying man his poison?

Not wanting to sound too cheesy or anything, but when Draco finally gave in and kissed her with gusto, Ginny swore she saw fireworks lit up behind her closed eyelids. Opening her mouth to him, tasting the forbidden fruit she wouldn't have had the chance to taste if the fates hadn't worked their wonders on them just now.

She became too lost in his kiss that she didn't realize they were no longer alone in the backyard. Draco was yanked away from her and heard a familiar voice she hadn't heard in weeks scream out, "_Stop that!_"

Ginny's eyes snapped open in an instant and saw a surprised Draco being dragged by the arms by her brother and her ex-boyfriend. Hermione stood behind her yelling at her two best friends to not harm the boy they caught kissing her.

"Harry, _don't!_" she screamed out the same time Hermione did when she saw Ron holding Draco up for Harry punch squarely on the jaw.

Draco barely had a good look at his assailant before his world turned black. Ginny's scream was the last he heard before he passed out.

* * *

GINNY KICKED RON AND HARRY OUT OF HER bedroom while she attended to a still unconscious Draco. She was far too upset to welcome them back after what they did to him.

Tonks dragged Harry and Ron aside, giving them an earful before Molly Weasley took her turn in giving the two young men heck.

Hermione and Luna remained in the room with Ginny while they waited for Draco to come around. Luna filled Hermione in on the reason why Draco Malfoy, the person responsible for Albus Dumbledore's death, was at the Burrow and caught red-handedly kissing Ginny in the backyard.

"How did it happen?" asked Hermione after Luna finished explaining why Malfoy was with them.

"How did _what_ happen?" Ginny asked.

"The attack. What was Malfoy doing with the Auror he was found with?"

"That's what Tonks and everybody else is trying to find out," answered Luna. She became Ginny's closest confidant since Hermione took off with her two best friends. "You see the Auror that caught him didn't make it. He was hit with the death curse."

"And now you say he's lost his memory?" Hermione stared dumbstruck at the unconscious blond haired boy on Ginny's bed.

Luna nodded, following Hermione's gaze and watched Ginny put cold compress on his head and applies some sort of sticky potion to get rid of the nasty bruise Harry's fist left on his jaw.

"He still doesn't know everything?"

"He's starting to remember, and believe me he gets _nasty_ when he remembers bits and pieces of his past that he doesn't want to remember."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow and looked at the blond girl with her. She normally couldn't tolerate the Ravenclaw, but after the life changing experience all of them went through, Luna changed from the space-head she was known to be to this _almost normal_ person she was with her now.

"By nasty you mean…?"

"Oh, the usual Malfoy temper takes precedence," she shrugged.

"And Ginny _tolerated_ it?"

"He's always sorry afterwards. And believe it or not, Ginny and Malfoy became real close friends since he was brought under her care at the recovery unit," Luna confided.

Hermione was both surprised and impressed that Ginny was able to stand Malfoy's nasty moods. She was made of far sterner stuff than she gave her credit for.

* * *

DRACO REMAINED KNOCKED OUT for a good two hours. Harry's anger and jealousy at finding his former school nemesis playing tonsil hockey with his ex-girlfriend didn't sit well with him and fuelled his punch he gave him. Ginny, Hermione and Luna left him alone to rest in her bedroom and joined everybody else downstairs. Harry and Ron both sought her out to apologize, but Ginny would hear nothing of it. She was far too upset with the two of them to stand the mere sight of them.

Ginny excused herself from everyone and stepped outside to get some fresh air. Harry was relentless and followed her there. He was adamant he had a word with her about her dalliance with the enemy.

"What are you doing here, Harry? Go back inside and mingle with everybody."

"Can we talk?"

"About what?"

"About what I just saw when the three of us apparated here, that's what."

Ginny cocked an eyebrow and turned about face to look at him. "What's there to talk about? You just punched the daylights out of someone before asking any questions!"

"His hands were all over you! What was I supposed to think when I saw my number one enemy pawing on my girlfriend!"

"_Ex_-girlfriend," she was quick to correct him. "Remember we broke up after Dumbledore's funeral?"

"It was for your own good."

"Am I that fragile for you to want to put up on a pedestal?"

"I care for you too much, Gin, to lose you, let alone see you get hurt," he admitted.

"And yet you don't give a rat's arse whether Ron or Hermione get hurt?"

"Of course I do! I didn't want them to go with me, but they're a pair of stubborn mules."

"But you _allowed_ them to go with you while you argued with me to the bitter end of not going with you three!"

"I have no hold on either one of them. And I know I have no hold on you either, but taking you on that search trip with us…it wasn't easy what we did. We spent days camped out in the open hiding under my dad's old Invisibility Cloak! I wanted to spare you _that_ experience, Ginny," he explained.

Ginny jutted her chin at him and presented him her back. She was still upset with him for not having enough faith in her and for what he did earlier as soon as he arrived to the Burrow.

"Ginny—"

"We parted ways, Harry. The day you told me I couldn't go with you because it was _too dangerous_, I made up my mind and moved on."

"And you moved on to Malfoy?" he said bitterly.

Ginny spun around and met his gaze. She forced herself not to slap him for the condescending implication his tone sent her.

"I _care_ for Draco. I want to help him."

"Help him get better? Help him remember that kind of prick he was before? And then what, huh?" he taunted. "And then _what_, Ginny? What would you do once he's remembered everything? Did you ever think about him returning to _hating_ you once he's regained his full memory?"

"The thought crossed my mind, Harry, but that's beside the point."

"It is not! Ginny, Malfoy will always be Malfoy. He's a pureblood snob who'd look down his nose at you for being poor. You can't change the person he was just because he has amnesia."

"I am not asking for a miracle, Harry. Once Draco regains his memory and he reverts back to the vile person he was before, he'll be under the Ministry and Order custody."


	6. VI the Calm After the Storm

**Full Summary: **_A badly banged-up and war-weary Draco Malfoy ended up under Ginny Weasley's care at the height of the War. She refused to look after her former schoolmate nemesis until she realized he has amnesia; maybe caring for him wouldn't be as tough as trying to co-exist with him at Hogwarts…_

**Disclaimer: **_Harry Potter is a copyright trademark of JK Rowling & the WB. No Profit is Made Off this Fic. I only own some of the OC characters, but the others aren't mine._

**PhoenixRae's Note: **_Sorry for the delay in updating. I wanted to have this chapter up and running last night, but I was so tired and since I have a wedding to attend to this weekend (not to mention there's also that thing called **work**) I wasn't able to. Anyway, thank you so much for those who reviewed and read. Hope you like this next installment!

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**VI. the Calm After the Storm**

DRACO BECAME A PERMANENT FIXTURE at the Burrow following Ginny's disastrous birthday party. Harry returned to Privet Drive in Surrey to honour his promise to the late Professor Dumbledore, but after a week he apparated back to the Burrow and remained with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer.

Tonks was sent away on a mission regarding the lead Draco tipped her on a week ago after seeing Lucius in the telly. The mission required her to be away from home for a length of time. Remus Lupin offered to take over looking after Draco, but with the full moon looming they couldn't take any chances. And throwing Draco in with the other captured Death Eaters deep in the bowels of the Ministry would be too risky as well; as far as everyone on Lord Voldemort's side was concerned Draco Malfoy _perished_ at the attack on the Aurors who caught him. The only other safest place to keep him and will have some other member of the Order to look after him was at the Burrow.

Ron and Harry weren't too happy with the arrangement; the last thing Ron wanted was to make room for someone like Draco Malfoy in his room he normally shared with Harry whenever he was over their place. But Ginny was delighted to have him around. She still wasn't speaking to Harry after their confrontation, and Ron was trying his best to comprehend Malfoy's presence and relationship with his sister. He was only gone a few weeks and amnesia or not, he couldn't stand seeing Ginny being chummy with his worse enemy.

Hermione arrived a week before the supposed start of term. She went back to placate her overly worried parents the night she arrived back to the Burrow with her two best friends and left to live with the Weasleys as well for the duration of the supposed school year. She said it would look odd to their neighbours if she doesn't go away for school nearing the end of the summer; they were already used to her going to school elsewhere.

Unlike her two friends, however, Hermione didn't mind Malfoy's presence as much. She was more intrigued to find out exactly what kind of a person Draco Malfoy was without him being snarly with her and calling her names. She hated his favourite term for her: Mudblood, and if he uttered that word to her she swore she'd sock him good. She already slapped him back in their third year, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again – and this time she'd give him a nice bruise to remember it by.

Luna frequented the Burrow as well. She said it was a tad bit boring at her place what with her father always preoccupied with getting _The Quibbler_ out and in print all the time, he spent most of his time at work than at home, but Draco and Ginny suspected it was because of Harry's presence at the Burrow that made her visit often. It was apparent how the blond former Ravenclaw idolized Harry Potter, and from the starry-eyed glazed look in her eyes, it doesn't take a genius to figure out Luna Lovegood fancied the Boy Who Lived.

"Are you sure Ron and Harry are being nice to you?" asked Ginny after dinner Saturday when she asked Draco to accompany her for a walk around the backyard. The house became too crowded with how many people living there now she needed some time and space to breathe and think.

"Not all the time, but we tolerate each other," was his reply.

Ginny cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. "How's your memory? I've been busy like crazy this week I forgot to check on you if you remembered anything vital since that last flashflood of memories you had."

Draco didn't answer her right away. He seemed to be contemplating on how to answer her question. Ginny couldn't help but cocking her eyebrow higher than before. He was hiding something from her. After being around him this past few weeks she began knowing how to read him like a book, and usually when he clams up or takes his time answering he was often thinking on how to broach a certain subject up to her without making her worry too much.

"Draco…"

"What?"

"You remembered something again, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" was his nonchalant reply.

Ginny made a face at him and cocked her head to the side. Crossing her arms over her chest and she studied the blond former Slytherin Prefect carefully.

"The last time you remembered something you flipped out, _and_ you also helped give Tonks some lead regarding what the Dark Lord and his minions are up to. So if whatever you remembered is _vital_ to helping Tonks and the rest of the Order – if not the rest of the Ministry people – end this ongoing war the better."

"It's not something as bad as what I remembered when I saw my father's face," he denied.

"I don't believe you."

It was Draco's turn to make a face at her. "You don't believe me?" he asked in disbelief.

"You remembered something else, something that makes you feel iffy, am I right?"

"Iffy?" he echoed.

Ginny let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes skyward. "You're being impossible, Malfoy."

"And _you_, Weasley, are way too inquisitive," he replied teasingly.

"Fine. Keep it to yourself, just make sure you don't flip out and start a yelling-fest with Harry or Ron or my parents." She resumed walking to the end of the backyard, stopping to gaze at the wide open space that stretched beyond.

Draco followed her and stopped beside her. He slipped his hands in his pants pockets and stood with his shoulders straight and his eyes focused on the wide empty space. They stood like that in silence for a good three minutes before Draco decided to break the silence.

"I remembered _enjoying_ calling Granger _Mudblood_, but I can't remember exactly what that term means," he confessed his gaze still fixed on the wide empty space in front of them. "But I know it's something awful and I remembered the first time I called her that your brother, Ron, tried to hex me but it backfired and _he_ ended up barfing out slugs."

Ginny remembered that incident all too well. It was her first year at Hogwarts; she was the newbie and often felt left out. It was the year she started conversing with Tom Riddle's diary not knowing it was infused with a lot of dark magic.

"Ron's wand was wonky. He broke it when he and Harry flew my dad's flying car to school when they missed the train," she explained.

"I vaguely remember that memory," he answered. "Didn't they crash it on to the Whomping Willow tree?"

Ginny nodded.

"Wow…that must've been nice to ride that," he said whimsically.

Ginny's brow shot up again. She turned wide-eyed at her companion and just stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe she just heard him say what he just said.

Draco noticed her giving him a funny look. "What? What did I say?"

"I never thought a pureblooded _snob_ like you would even consider riding a Muggle mode of transportation."

Draco made a face at her commenting on the kind of person he was. He was still trying to digest that he was that vile person he was remembering, but to hear her tell him what he was thinking was true indeed was too much.

"I am not that person anymore, Ginny. And these past few weeks has opened my eyes to all the things I missed out on because I was brought up differently."

"Has it?"

"Surely you believe that I am no longer the person I was before the attack."

"To be honest with you this side of you I am seeing right now is all so new to me. You never once showed your vulnerable side to _any_ of us. You were always flanked by your bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, and was far too busy tormenting everyone to be thought _nice._"

"Man, even _I_ hate myself. I sound so damn conceited!"

"Conceited. Rude. Vile. A hundred percent git that I ended up hexing in fourth year," she said the latter part with a wide, proud grin plastered on her elfin face.

"Bat Bogey Hex," he snarled and gave her a scathing sideways glare. "I was really pissed off with that. I plotted countless times to get back at you for what you did, but you were too damn elusive."

"You remembered that too?"

Draco frowned and recounted back to what he just said. The words just rolled right out of his mouth, filled with confidence at the vivid image that played back in his mind when he recalled that particular incident back in his fifth year.

"I think I just remembered it _now_ after you said you hexed me."

"Hmm, that's not bad," she smiled. "That means you really are on your road to _full_ recovery. Before long you would remember _everything_ and—"

"And be thrown to prison for allying with the Dark Lord," he cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

Ginny quickly clamped her mouth shut and stared at him.

"That was _far_ from what I was about to say. And you're helping us find out what the Dark Lord and his minions are planning. I'm sure you'll be pardoned for your part as a Death Eater."

"I was the one responsible for killing Professor Dumbledore, Ginny. _I_ let the other Death Eaters into the castle. _I_ plotted the demise of the most powerful _good_ wizard who was the only person the Dark Lord feared."

Ginny flinched when she caught the pain and guilt slice across his cool gray eyes. His voice sounded strained when he spoke of what he did. She had to admit she was pissed off at him for having a hand at the death of Albus Dumbledore, but it wasn't him who threw the killing curse at the old wizard; it was Professor Snape, a so-called reformed Death Eater who betrayed them all, who finished Professor Dumbledore off.

"You had no choice then, Draco. You were fuelled by your anger at having your once wonderful life turned upside down when your father was thrown to jail. You wanted to _redeem_ the Malfoy name in the eyes of the Dark Lord hence why you agreed to do what you were _tasked_ to do."

"You're making excuses for me again, Ginny. I told you not to do that."

"I don't care. You obviously are feeling guilt over what happened. If you are guilty _then_ you are not really as black-hearted as other Death Eaters. You regret what happened. I know Professor Dumbledore will not come back, but you're doing something _right_ now to repent for your folly."

"Everything is black and white for you, isn't it? No hazy shades of gray to hide from the good and bad, hm?"

Ginny made a face at him. He was taunting her. He didn't want to hear that deep down inside he was a good person. He was just raised believing having full power over everyone was the ultimate thing to have. Compassion for others means weakness, and that was a very punishable crime in the eyes of his father.

"Draco—" She was cut off from saying what she was about to say when Draco caught her up the arms and hauled her towards him. His lips covered her for a kiss that was meant to silence her, but something inside him kicked in and he wasn't content with just a chaste kiss.

His tongue darted out to lick the counters of her lips, cajoling them to part and welcome him inside. It didn't take much prodding before Ginny opened her mouth for him and soon the two of them were kissing passionately. He flattened her against his body, feeling her softness get crushed against him.

Ginny let out a contented sigh, snaking her arms up and around his neck. She pulled his head closer for a much deeper kiss. The last time they kissed on her birthday they were interrupted by Harry, Ron and Hermione's unexpected arrival, but this time they were far from the house and everyone was busy with something else inside to pay attention to the two of them making out in the backyard.

* * *

THAT WAS SOME KISS YOU AND MALFOY SHARED, Ginny," commented Hermione when they were alone in Ginny's bedroom later that evening.

Ginny's hand was arrested from combing her long red hair and looked at her friend through her reflection in the mirror.

"What?"

Hermione cocked an eyebrow and put the book she was reading facedown on pillow on her lap. "You and Malfoy didn't walk far away enough to not be seen necking when I looked out the kitchen window."

Ginny felt her cheeks burn. She didn't think anybody would bother checking up on them earlier.

"Who else saw?"

"Just Luna and myself," she shrugged and picked up the book she was reading once again.

"What about my parents?"

"Your mom and dad were busy discussing something regarding work. Luna and I wanted some oranges and were standing by the kitchen sink peeling some oranges when I happened to look up and saw you and Malfoy in each other's arms," she explained.

"It's not what you think though," Ginny resumed combing her hair and averted her gaze from meeting Hermione's.

The bushy dark brown haired girl cocked an eyebrow and studied his best friend's sister.

"You fancy him, don't you?"

Ginny paused before answering. Fancy him? Merlin knows how much she's grown closer to him since he was first brought to her to look after.

"Fancy who?" She decided acting nonchalant would be her best way of avoiding answering the question.

Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "C'mon Ginny, you're not fooling anybody here."

"Who says I'm fooling anybody? And it wasn't even that hot and heavy of a kiss we shared." She was brushing her hair harder now, causing her hair to get tangled up around her brush. "Oh bugger," she hissed and glared at the mess she created.

Hermione got up from the bed and walked to where Ginny was. She helped her untangle her hair from the comb.

"I kinda sensed you fancying him the night we apparated back here unannounced and caught you two kissing in the backyard," she shrugged, carefully untangling Ginny's hair without the aid of magic even though she was already legally allowed to use magic outside school. "I have to say that I was a bit surprised to find you in the arms of a Malfoy, Ginny."

"Why?"

"Oh, maybe because he's a Malfoy and you're a Weasley," shrugged Hermione. "You two have this forbidden love going on for the two of you. Not to mention Malfoy happens to be your boyfriend's worse enemy."

"_Ex_-boyfriend," Ginny corrected. "You remember that Harry and I split up at the end of the school year," she reminded.

"But he hasn't stopped caring for you, Gin." Hermione managed to free her hairs off the brush and took over brushing her long, red hair for her. "There wasn't a day that went by without Harry mooning over missing you. He _still_ loves you, Ginny."

"I still care for him too, Hermione," sighed Ginny. "But after the events of the past few weeks…I don't know anymore," she shrugged.

"I am not the one to judge, Ginny. All I want is for you to _not_ get hurt, that's all. Whomever you pick, whatever you decide, I can only hope for the best."


End file.
